Children’s Hospital, RR, Kahuta Road and main water supply systems remain incomplete
RAWALPINDI:
Several major development projects under construction in Rawalpindi have been moved to the new fiscal year 2026-27 after remaining incomplete at the close of fiscal year 2025-26.
These include Children’s Hospital, Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase I and II, Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market Beautification Project, Rawalpindi-Kahuta Highway and Chahan Dam Water Supply Project.
The status of proposed projects, including Daducha Dam, Chahan Dam, Leh Nullah Flood Control and Sewerage Canal, and alternative traffic routes, are also expected to be determined during the new fiscal year.
According to sources, the Mother and Child Hospital, which has been under construction for the last 21 years, has been included in the budget 2026-27 as a Children’s Hospital with an estimated cost of Rs 9,264 crore.
However, only Rs 494,402 crore has been allocated for the current fiscal year, while the remaining Rs 8,442 billion has been carried over to fiscal year 2027-28, making it unlikely to be completed during the current year.
The Rawalpindi-Kahuta road project, which was included in the previous year’s budget with an estimated cost of Rs 23,845 crore, recorded only one kilometer of physical progress.
It has now been included in the new budget with a revised estimate of Rs 23,545 crore, with only Rs 1,000 crore allocated for the current year, leaving its fulfillment uncertain.
The 38.6-kilometre Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase I from Banth Interchange on GT Road to Thalian Interchange, costing Rs 46.64 billion, is nearing completion but is yet to become operational as a traffic route. The Thalian interchange, costing Rs 4,700 crore, is expected to be completed during the current fiscal year.
The Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market Underground Wiring and Beautification Project, launched at an initial cost of Rs 875 crore, is also expected to be completed this year, after which its final cost will be determined.
The Asian Development Bank-assisted water supply project, which draws water from Chahan, Rawal and Khanpur dams, costing over Rs 33 billion and expected to provide Rawalpindi with an additional 17 million gallons of water per day, is now scheduled to be completed by December 2027.
Work on the Daducha and Chahan dam water supply projects could not begin during the previous fiscal year, but their future is expected to be decided in fiscal years 2026-27.
